Philosophies of care changing with the times, say employees
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - Sheri Fiegehen
Reflecting on the history of professional health care, an ever-growing and changing phenomenon is the concept of “philosophies of care.”

Of course, there have always been guidelines to providing medical care, but as the long-term care field has grown and changed, so too have philosophies of care. They have transformed over the years to better suit the wants, needs and expectations of the long-term care community.

“In the profession of nursing, there has been an evolution,” explains Pat Morden, CEO of Shalom Village in Hamilton. “There has been a variety of written models of care and theory over the years, with the purpose of getting (nurses and care staff) to think conceptually about their job.”

But "regular" nursing care is different than long-term care, she notes. So, in response, there has been a push towards developing models of care specifically geared toward long-term care.

“People in general are looking to conceptualize long-term care. Long-term care is not acute care; it’s not episodic care – people live there,” says Pat.

And the fact that people live there is key to modern-day philosophies of care, says Mary Jane Glassco, administrator of Regina Gardens in Hamilton.

“They are no longer considered institutions or facilities. We call ourselves ‘homes.’ That is what older people and baby boomers want and expect,” says Mary Jane.

And, considering the sheer numbers of baby boomers who are looking at long-term care for their parents or themselves, philosophies of care simply must reflect their wants and needs, she adds.

As such, in recent years, a number of people have come up with their own ideas of what long-term care should entail. Keeping in mind government regulations for the long-term care sector, they’ve put their ideas down on paper, developed guidelines and books, and gone on to market them to the long-term care community.

“They’re looking for ways to guide the practice. They have their own thoughts on that, so they write books and come up with labels (like the Eden Alternative, GentleCare, or At Home Approach, to name a few),” explains Pat. “Basically, they say, ‘follow this prescription, if you will, and you will be doing a better job than you are now.’”

Stay tuned to the Morning Report for further discussions of philosophies of care.